On the occasion of Earth Day on April 22, 2025, one of the most pressing problems arises: how can we simultaneously address climate change and food security? The answer is not only in the plants that we grow but also on the ground below. For decades, agriculture has been using chemical fertilizers, but there is a change towards the use of organic methods to heal the best candle, something that the association of biogas of India feels that it can redefine the course of history.
The chemical fertilizers that perform crops, as is known, have another side of the tone that comes next to the rapid increase in crop productivity since the mid -twentieth century. Worldwide, its use emits 2.6 Gigatones of CO₂ equivalent annually, more than the aviation industry due to energy intensive production and nitrous oxide emissions. Its efficiency is also fleeting: 60-70 percent of the synthetic nitrogen applied to the lavered fields on river or evaporates, polluting ecosystems. The result? More than 500 coastal dead areas worldwide, including a strip of the size of a New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico, suffocating marine life.
The descent of the soil is equally alarm. The UN estimates that 33 percent of land soils are already relegated, with 24 billion tons or fertile soil lost annually to erosion. In the corn belt of the United States, the use of relentless chemicals has stripped soil of 40-60 percent of its original organic matter, leaving the farms more vulnerable to droughts and floods. “We must understand the importance of the upper land layer, which we live on this planet, but we must let the ground live first, the situation would be very gloomy,” warns Dr. Ar Shukla, former advisor to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and President of the Indian Biogas Association.
Climate solution
However, there is a climatic solution under our feet. Change to organic fertilizers – Organic compost/fermented manure – offers a path to repair this damage.
Unlike chemical components, compost provides support to microbes and earthworms, which help in the construction of the soil and the restoration of organic matter. The Rodale Institute has demonstrated results of the 40 -year agricultural systems test that show organic fields:
1. It can produce yields comparable to conventional farms after a minimum transition of three years.
2. 30 percent more yields of extreme weather times.
3. Reduce greater profits for farmers as a result of lower supplies.
In addition, healthy soils retain moisture like sponges. An increase or 1 percent in the organic matter of the soil allows the earth to retain 75,000 liters of additional water by acre, which is a blessing since climate change intensifies dry spells. Many initiatives are trying to guarantee that governments and farmers work together to guarantee a healthier and more sustainable land such as: the “land agreement” for Europe “for Europe” of the European Union to change 75 percent of European soils to organic management by 2030 and farmers in Kenya are focusing on the systems that convert crop waste into compost.
Living ecosystem
In the US, the healthy soil program has a provider of $ 200 million to farms that reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers only to put coverage and compost crops in their practices.
However, earth’s day reminds us that there are solutions. The fermented organic manure from the biogas system could recycle 100 percent of the world’s food waste to Mother Earth, while agroforestry, the integration of trees, the fertility of the soil increases naturally.
“The soil is not just a resource: it is a living ecosystem,” says Gaurav Kedia, president of Iba. “When we handle it with love and support, we honor ancient wisdom and ensure our collective future.”
The Biogas Association of India is legislation for the fact that the healing of the planet begins with the healing of the soil. The choice is not between productivity and sustainability. When feeding the soil, we cultivate resilience: for food systems, our climate and generations.
The author is president of the Indian Association of Biogas.
Posted on April 22, 2025
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